Lipsticks I'm Loving Right Now

Yes, I know I just posted about loving my new Berry lips, but at heart (and for everyday) I'll always be a warm nude/peachy pink girl. Here are some of my current favorites.
From left to right:

• Chanel Como Aqualumiere ($28)- this is the perfect warm pink beige shimmer. I believe it may have been limited edition but it's absolutely worth tracking down.
• YSL Sensual Silk #2 Rouge Volupte ($34)- this is a creamy light pinked beige. It is almost too light on it's own so I generally use a lip liner with it, but I love the pale pink (but not mod) mouth it gives. Just soft and pretty.
• Dolce & Gabbana Naked Shine Lipstick ($30)- you can see my review along with more pictures here!
• Bobbi Brown Lip Shimmers in Berry Shimmer and Rosebud Shimmer ($22)- Berry Shimmer is poorly named--it's actually a warm nude with white shimmer while Rosebud Shimmer is a rose-beige with silver shimmer. (Rosebud Shimmer looks nothing like Rose Bud Creamy Lip Color currently featured in the Earth Metal palette). Both are on the sheer side and look fabulous layered over one another. Bobbi discontinued this whole line of lipsticks, but you can still find them at CCOs.
• Bobbi Brown Creamy Lip Color in Baby ($22)- this has been my favorite lipstick for some time. It's shade I can just slap on and go when I don't have the time or inclination to think about what lipstick to wear. Find more pictures and a review here.
  

Dolce & Gabbana Cosmetics

The much-hyped Dolce & Gabbana Cosmetics lined debuted this year at New York's City Saks 5th Avenue, and then subsequently made its way the Saks Beverly Hills store. I ran to Saks when the line was initially unveiled, intent on snapping up a number of items. I was a bit shocked to discover that nothing really appealed to me. The lipsticks seemed somewhat average, as did the blushes, bronzers, and shadows. I thought the shadow duos and quads either odd combinations or ones that had been done before.

A few weeks later I decided to go back and take another look. Part of the problem is that the lighting created for the D&G area on the cosmetics floor is very, very dim and yellow, making it difficult to tell what a color truly looks like. On the second occasion I had a good amount of time to kill and decided to swatch items and then head outside to get a more accurate sense of the colors. This made a big difference in my take on the line! I decided to purchase items I found unique yet wearable, and went with a Lipstick in Naked ($30) and Eye Liner in Stromboli ($29).

Naked is part of the Shine line of lipsticks designed to be semi sheer with high shine. Naked is a shimmery pink with warm beige undertones. The color can be layered to intensify the pigment. It's too pink to be a true "naked" neutral, but it is a lovely versatile color. The lipstick does have a strong rose scent which fades in time.


From left to right, the colors in this swatch comparison are: Bobbi Brown Rosebud Shimmer, Lancome Beauty's Eve, Paul & Joe Pain D'Epice (#27), Dolce & Gabbana Naked, Clinique Gingerfrost, Shiseido SL13, Julie Hewett Nude Noir.

The Crayon Intense Eye Liner in Stromboli is a black with very subtle gold sparkles. I find black to be harsh with my fair skin, but this is a softer black shade and the gold shimmer helps to keep the liner from being overwhelming. The liner is smudgable, the the pencil has a sponge tip on one end. Unfortunately, the liner fades throughout the day, the gold shimmer barely shows up, and the product seems to get a coating on it that necessitates sharpening between uses. Not grave issues, but for a $29 eye liner I expect more. I would not use this one on the waterline due to the glitter particles. Despite my lack of affection for Stromboli, I've heard multile raves about this product in the Coffee shade and may try that one.

New from the Saks Catalog: Dolce & Gabbana's Unexpected Fall Palette

Scrolling through the most recent Saks 5th Avenue beauty catalog, I was caught off guard by Dolce and Gabbana's fall palette. I'm used to cosmetic companies featuring warm golds, ambers, greens and browns for fall, while D&G has chosen to focus on platinum and hot pink. Crayon Intense Eyeliner in Platinum ($29) is a soft burnished silver. Classic Cream Lipstick in Soft ($30) appears a deep burgundy. Ultra-Shine Lipgloss in Baby ($29) is a shimmer-free shocking pink.

Lastly, Smooth Eye Color Duo in Rose ($36) is a hot rose paired with a soft platinum white.

Photos from the Saks 5th Avenue catalog.

Shimmery Complex Roses

I tend to gravitate towards interesting colors. No straight pinks or greens for me! I like complex, multidimensional colors--murky taupey browns, iridescent pinky browns, luminous reddish pinky peaches. These shades are all what I'd considering interesting. They're all a blend of several tones and are of varying depths. If pressed for a one word description I'd use "rose," but that would belie the complexity of the shades.

From left to right: Origins Rose Gold, Shiseido SL13, Dolce and Gabbana Naked, Julie Hewett Nude Noir, Clinique Gingerfrost, Lancome Rendez-Vous

Same order as before: Origins Rose Gold, Shiseido SL13, Dolce and Gabbana Naked, Julie Hewett Nude Noir, Clinique Gingerfrost, Lancome Rendez-Vous